Catch me if i fall: Fallen
by white rose01
Summary: One of the endings to CMIIF. Warning: Character Death. Final chapter now posted.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Same as usual, own nothing, all the property of CBS and Anthony Zuiker_

AN: So, here we have the first part of the first ending! Just to clarify, this is the sad ending, there is a character death, but there will be another ending where they all live happily ever after. Or as happily as is possible anyway… evil laugh Sorry its taken so long, exams got in the way, and apparently they have priority! But now, there is only one A level left, and then its freedom for the rest of the summer! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and emailed, if there is anyone who still wants a copy of part of the story that was removed please email me at whiterose01 hotmail . com and I will send you a copy. Hope that you enjoy the first part of the ending.

Catch me if I Fall: Fallen

Nick gently stroked Greg's hair, looking hopelessly at his co-workers as another of those wracking coughs shook Greg's body. He knew that time was running out, seriously running out. If the paramedics didn't get here soon, they'd arrive to find a still warm corpse.

Nick shivered and forced the dark and morbid thoughts away, but was unable to stop the tears flowing down his face and onto Greg's. As the first tear hit him, Greg looked up into Nick's face. He frowned at the tears he saw there and tried to reach up to wipe them away. Greg frowned again as his hands were gently restrained by the people holding them.

"N-Nick" rasped Greg painfully, "D-Don't cry, please."

Greg took a breath, the bubbling sound that this produced causing everyone in the room to wince, and then immediately pretend they hadn't. Greg caught the winces though and gave a sardonic smile.

"Sounds…good, huh?"

Nick shook his head, unable to believe that Greg could crack jokes with the state that he was in. Nick had confronted his own mortality more times than he cared to remember, staring down gun barrels had a tendency to do that to you, and never had he had even the remotest tendency to joke about it.

Warrick shifted about uncomfortably as he looked down at Greg. He didn't want to lie to the bloodied young man in front of him, but he wasn't sure that the truth would be the best option here. He was saved from having to make a decision by Sara speaking up.

"Better than Black Flag…"

Greg wheezed a laugh at that, more blood dribbling down his chin as he did so. Sara gently passed one of Greg's wrists to Catherine, and then carefully dabbed the blood away, trying hard to avoid the many burns and cuts on his face.

He flinched away from her touch and gave a hiss of pain. Sara pulled her hand away like she'd been scalded and immediately started apologising, feeling terrible for adding to Greg's pain.

"Oh God, Greg I'm so sorry, I didn't mean…I…"

Greg interrupted her stumbling apology.

"Not…your…fault…"

Sara and Nick exchanged tear filled glances and Nick opened his mouth to speak. Before he could do so, Grissom appeared bearing a cup of water. Only Grissom had the ability to just appear without anyone batting an eyelid. Grissom gently held the cup to Greg's mouth so that he could drink.

"Careful now, not too fast." Grissom said warningly.

Greg heeded Grissom's warning, and took small sips of the water. He squeezed his eyes shut as the cool water ran down his throat, it seemed to ease the pain he was feeling. In any case, he was now able to speak, to say his goodbyes.

Greg was by no means unaware of the extent of his injuries, he knew that he was on the out, and even if he did survive, it would be a long and painful rehabilitation to something that might not even come close to his quality of life before. He guessed that he'd accepted that he was going to die, not that there was really anything he could do about it. He gave an internal bitter smile. He'd survived getting blown up in his own lab only to be horribly tortured by a twisted maniac. He would have rather died in the lab.

He immediately scratched that thought from his brain as he looked around him and took in the worried faces of the CSIs, his friends. He'd had some great times since the lab explosion, ones that he wouldn't change for the world. And he'd gotten field experience and gained his CSI level 1 badge. He guessed he was lucky that he was getting to say goodbye, so many of the deaths that he saw as a CSI were unexpected or random, with no chance to say goodbye.

He looked around at the people gathered round him and internally winced. He knew they weren't going to take it well, especially Nick. Nick would be the one to take it hardest, because Nick had caused them to argue and would blame himself, but mainly because they were closest to each other out of the CSI team.

He painfully cleared his throat. Once he was sure that he had all the CSIs attention, he began to speak in a slow rasping voice, one that bared no resemblance to his voice a few days ago.

"Guys…I'm sorry…I need to…thank you…and…." He paused, trying to muster up as much energy as he could to continue. While he was doing so, Nick cottoned on to what he was doing.

"Uh-uh, no way. Don't be sayin' your good byes. The medics are almost here, you have to hold on Greg, you have to!" Nicks voice rose considerably in pitch as he looked pleadingly down at Greg.

Greg's heart seemed to break as he looked up at Nick and spoke two words, two words which forced the gathered CSIs to face the devastating reality.

"I can't"

Catherine muttered an expletive that accurately summed up the mood. She stared down at Greg, tears forming in her eyes. Her vision blurred and she buried her head in Warrick's shoulder. Warrick absently placed an arm around her shoulders as he looked down at the young lab tech, anger and sorrow in his eyes. If Smith hadn't been dead already, Warrick could have happily done the deed for what he had done to Greg.

Sara had turned to Grissom at Greg's words, Grissom had all the answers, could fix almost anything. But one look at his face, at the mixture of pain, anger and sadness that was there, told her that there was nothing they could do. They were just going to have to sit there and watch him die. She let the tears flow unchecked then, and gently stroked his hand.

Nick just shook his head, unable to take it in, a whirlwind of emotions swirling in his mind. The thought of Greg dying was unthinkable. Greg seemed to be invincible; he'd even managed to survive getting blown up in his own lab! But now…now he was lying in a bloody and mangled heap on the floor. And it was all Nick's fault. If only he hadn't mouthed off to Grissom about Greg, if only they hadn't argued, if only they hadn't cancelled the plans, if only…

Nick scrubbed his face with his hands as his eyes filled with tears.

"Greg…no…I'm so sorry. I'm so very, very sorry." He whispered brokenly.

"Nick…this isn't your fault…please don't blame yourself."

Greg took a laboured breath and looked up at his closest friend.

"I'm…s-sorry Nick…" tears were welling in Greg's eyes now, "I need to tell you…that I- "

Nick shushed him gently.

"It's ok, I know."

Greg nodded, and his face seemed to clear. His eyes then clouded, and he let out a hiss of pain.

"Oh…God it hurts…" he managed to grit out.

Nick stroked Greg's face, mindful of his burns. He was unable to stop his tears. He knew that the only reason Greg had hung on for so long was because of the people gathered round him. Part of him knew that he should want Greg to let go and end the suffering, but the selfish part of him didn't want to lose Greg.

"Wow…it really…does get…cold before you…die."

Nicks heart seemed to freeze in his chest at Greg's words, a feeling that was shared by all the CSIs. Nick squeezed his eyes shut, willing for it all to be a terrible nightmare. Sadly, the tragic reality was still there when he opened them.

Greg coughed, a horrible racking cough, blood spraying out of his mouth. His eyes closed, and Nick's heart stopped beating.

He let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding as the eyes opened again. Brown eyes met bloodshot and an emotion filled look passed between them.

"Nick…." Gasped Greg.

Then the bloodshot eyes closed forever.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: All is the property of CBS and Anthony Zuiker, I own nothing._

AN: The final chapter of the sad ending…I hope that you all enjoy it. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I love getting reviews. If there is anyone who still wants a copy of the fic, please email me. Audrey, your email address hasn't shown up on the reviews as this site blocks them, please try emailing me again and I'll send you a copy. As always, reviews are gratefully received, thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story.

Chapter 2

Two months had passed since Greg had died. Two months and three days to be exact. But the pain was still as fresh and as raw as if it had happened yesterday. Everything had changed at the crime lab; things were awkward, sombre and difficult.

Everyone at the lab had reacted in different ways. Grissom now spent even more time locked up in his office, reading, doing research, thinking, whatever it was that he did. Catherine was cutting back on her work hours to spend more time with Lindsey, Greg's death making her realise how precious time was with people you loved. Warrick had thrown himself into his music, his grief coming out in lyrics and chords, and was even talking about quitting to try and take it further. Sara was spending pretty much every waking hour at the lab; she never went home unless Grissom or Ecklie ordered her to do so.

At the lab there was always someone around to talk to, or pretend to talk to in any case. Nick knew this because he too couldn't face going home. When he was forced home, he just paced round his apartment, thinking of things he should've done differently. There was only one other place that he visited regularly.

Nick crouched down beside the still disturbed earth, and placed the flowers in his hand at the bottom of the stone in front of him. He then reached out and traced the letters engraved into the stone. It was already a familiar ritual; Nick had visited Greg's grave everyday since the burial. He knew that the others visited it a lot as well, Sara in particular.

_In loving memory of_

_GREGORY HOJEM SANDERS_

_5/5/75 – 22/06/05_

_Resting in peace, do not disturb._

He gave a sad smile as he read the inscription. It was so very Greg. He'd obviously put a lot of thought into it, as it had been in his will. The same will that had willed pretty much everything to Nick. Greg's lawyer had told them all that he'd updated his will after the lab explosion. And Nick thought that had been a bad day, the explosion was a mere nothing compared to the kidnapping.

Nick thought back to the day when his nightmares had been realised. He remembered crying, he remembered sobbing, he remembered refusing to let go of Greg's body. He remembered Warrick shouting at the paramedics when they arrived, telling them that they were too late and had only arrived in time to transport the body. Greg's body.

"I'm sorry" whispered Nick.

He blamed himself entirely for Greg's death. And nothing that anyone could say or do would ever change that. He looked down at the earth beneath him and sighed. Even though it had been two months since Greg had died, he'd only been buried for about a month and a half.

Two weeks had been spent in the morgue. Nick shivered as he thought of all the autopsies he had witnessed, the idea of Greg being reduced to a piece of meat was not a pleasant one.

The results of the autopsy, however, had been much, much worse. It was then that the full extent of Greg's suffering had been revealed. Burns, cut, bruises, broken legs, electrical shocks, drugs in his system, and still the list went on. The torture that had been inflicted on Greg made all the CSIs sick and angry.

But unbelievably there was still worse to come. Just when they thought that nothing else could come along to hit them, it had. Doc Robbins had found tearing and had suspected rape. The sexual assault kit had confirmed it. In Nick's opinion, rape was one of the worst acts that a human being could commit. He'd been physically sick when Doc Robbins had broken the horrific news to them; it still made him feel ill if he dwelt on it too much.

Nick dashed his hand across his eyes, amazed to find that he still had tears left to cry. He didn't think he'd ever cried this much, now anything could set him off, hearing a song that Greg had liked, walking past the DNA lab, anything like that.

He looked at Greg's gravestone again, and gave another sad smile. He had so many great memories of Greg as well. Greg rocking out to Black Flag in the lab, Greg dancing with the showgirl hat on, Greg making him guess his lab results. And then there were all the times they'd met up outside of the lab just to hang out.

Nick guessed that he was lucky that he'd gotten to say goodbye to Greg as well. He saw people everyday who had expected to see their loved ones again and regretted not getting the chance to say a proper goodbye.

He sighed again. Life just wasn't fair sometimes, but yet it went on for most people. But not for Greg, and not for Smith. Both the kidnapper and the kidnapped had lost. Although Nick figured that was a good thing for Smith, knowing full well that he could have easily seriously injured the twisted little man, a thought that he knew was shared by others.

Nick shivered as a cold wind blew threw the graveyard, and turned his attention back to the gravestone.

"Well, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow though."

He stood up slowly, brushing his clothes down as he did so. He gave the gravestone one last look, mentally apologising again, and wishing that he could take his actions back.

But it was too late. Greg was gone, and nothing could ever change that. Despite their best efforts, Greg had fallen.

Fin


End file.
